The Parks Pat Mysteries are fast-paced Canadian police procedurals set in Calgary’s parks, pathways, reservoirs, gardens, and natural spaces. Métis police detective Margie Patenaude—Parks Pat to her colleagues—investigates crimes in places where beauty, history, weather, and terrain can all conceal vital evidence.
Each concise mystery offers a complete case, combining careful police work, memorable Calgary settings, and glimpses of Indigenous culture and community. Margie’s persistence and eye for physical detail guide her through suspicious deaths, buried secrets, missing evidence, and landscapes that never remain simple backdrops.
These quick-read mysteries are ideal when you want a satisfying police procedural without committing to a full-length novel. Start with Out with the Sunset and take a walk through Calgary with Parks Pat.
Curious about Margie, the format, or the series setting? Read the questions and answers about the Parks Pat Mysteries.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is another well-written, briskly-paced mystery featuring great characters, lots of interesting glimpses into Canada’s Indigenous culture, and a satisfying resolution all wrapped up in delightful quick-read police procedural by an author who could make a description of drying paint sound fascinating.
(Book #5) It’s Parade Day, and Margie would have thought that any trouble would have centered around drinking and motor vehicles. Or being trampled by horses. Or clowns. But the latest homicide investigation is nowhere near the parade route, but on the outskirts of town. And the culprit appears to be a tiny boat.
Skimming over the Lake Read More »
(Book #4) Detective “Parks” Pat is back. Now an established and accepted member of the homicide squad, she unexpectedly brings a new case to the table when she stumbles across a body as Canada Day dawns. While it was initially assumed to be an accidental drowning, the autopsy results say otherwise.
Immersed in the View Read More »
Looking for a police procedural set in picturesque Canada? Let Award-winning and Bestselling Author P.D. Workman take you her favourite Calgary parks, as Métis detective Margie Patenaude investigates a murder in this fast-paced new series.
Parks Pat Mysteries 1-3 Read More »
(Book #3) Detective “Parks” Pat has made a name for herself in solving the Fish Creek and Glenbow Ranch murders, so she is the one they call when a body turns up in Ralph Klein Park. She would be happy for the confidence placed in her if it weren’t for the fact that the body is in the water.
Dark Water Under the Bridge Read More »
(Book #2) Detective Pat is called out to another park homicide scene with disturbing similarities to the Fish Creek murder. Digging more deeply into the evidence reveals something even more worrisome. If her instincts are right, this case may hit a little too close to home.
Long Climb to the Top Read More »
A murder in a beautiful Calgary park. A new detective with something to prove. Meet Métis detective Margie Patenaude in this fast-paced Canadian police procedural novella.
Out with the Sunset Read More »
